Marco Rubio - U.S. Senate - 2010

With coverage in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and across the state, Marco “took aim at Washington” with 12 simple ideas for cutting spending and reducing the size of government. Check out the coverage below:

• Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio unveiled his fiscal policy plan Monday, arguing that Congress should balance the budget while recouping unused stimulus money and enabling taxpayers to aim tax dollars directly at the national debt. Rubio rolled out “12 Simple Ways to Cut Spending” in front of about 175 people at Meridian Technologies, a Jacksonville-based data management company he credited as an example of a successful business. Meridian started 13 years ago and now has 200 employees serving high-tech businesses. Rubio argued that continued rises in government spending would lead to tax hikes that would stunt growth at companies such as Meridian. – Florida Times-Union

• In other parts of his plan, Rubio called for cutting the budgets of the Obama White House and Democratic-run Congress by 10 percent, banning federal earmarks, and passing a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to approve a balanced budget. He would give the president line-item veto power and also sunset government programs every 10 years, an approach similar to the reviews Florida government requires for many programs and agencies. “That could be a silver bullet that shoots some of the entrenched programs and bureaucracy that tends to perpetuate at the federal level,” Snaith said. – News Service Of Florida

• Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, Republican front-runner in the U.S. Senate race, promised Monday to rein in federal spending and offered proposals to help slash the size and cost of the federal government. … Rubio took aim at policies backed by President Barack Obama, calling for the elimination of bank bailouts and the federal stimulus. Rubio called for taking the money saved by eliminating those programs to be used in reducing the size of the national debt. Crist, who was a Republican at the time, had been an early backer of the Obama economic program, including embracing the stimulus plan. The Republican also praised a measure backed by U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, one of Rubio’s biggest sponsors at the national level, that would eliminate all congressional earmarks. Rubio argued that this would save the federal government between $15 billion and $20 billion each year. Noting that the White House budget has grown by $4 million since Obama took over, Rubio took aim at Washington, arguing that the budgets of both the executive branch and Congress need to be reduced by 10 percent. – Sunshine State News

• Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio stopped by a Jacksonville business Monday to outline a 12-point plan for cutting government spending. Supporters gathered at Meridian Technologies on the Southside to meet Rubio. Among the points in his plan are a ban on all earmarks, which Rubio said could save $15 billion to $20 billion a year. Rubio wants to end the stimulus program and use the money to help reduce the debt. He’s also calling for a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to balance the budget. – WJXT

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